Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-07-01

proscriptive spirit born of the heat of
conflict, and sustained by the hopes of
victory, of which the control of cities,
states and the nation are the prizes If war
this imperial, Omniprcseit, cOnfedera-
ted, Unsuitable party able to dictate al
nominations and to control nearly all
elections-who, indeed, can measure its
potency in our public affairs, or the good
and evil of its influence
AL over the land it draws the people to-
gether in tens of thousands of assemblies
every year, absorbs their time, taxes their
incomes, profoundly affects their opinons,
determines their associations and friend
ships, more than.any other subject what
ever except religion.
Beyond this vast material power OF par
ty are its binding effects upon the feel
ings and the judgment. 1t makes all just
estimates of one half of the people by the
other practically impossible. It excuses
or overlooks the faults of one party in the
same degree that it magnif1es those of
their opponents, making a mite of wrong
on one side larger than mountain of cor
ruPtion on the other. 1t perverts even
our sense of Justice and our Imagination.
What partisan can hold the scales of JUS
tice even between himself and his oppo-
nent From one end of tho Union to the
other, it puts barriers of distrust between
neighbors whose confidence on every 9th
er subject is unbounded. Its false coiors
do they not envelope our whole political
history, setting every great event and
every noble name of the past in a false
light to half the people and, in the pres
ent, make it inevitable that every great
statesman and great measure shall be
overestimated by all adherents OF one
party AS much as they are disparaged by
all those of the other
Even just view of the great events of
current history seems impossible. With
in the last 20 days a distinguished sena-
tor has declared in Il speech that the Presi
dent is indebted for his office to fraud and
violence, but the senator's brother, great
general, has declared. in a published let
ter, that he secured it by "a fair election of
all our people"
1t has even become the generally accept
ed theory, not that truth and justice, in
matters of politics, are to be secured by
candid inquiry and dispasSiOnate action,
but through the distorted judgments and
the fierce contests of partisan belliger
ents, whose patriotism is to be purified by
endless battles for the capture of the gov
eminent not that the ideal of good citi-
zenship is to vote freely and freely eX-
press opinions on all political issues but
to follow the march and obey the NM jority
of some party, at the peril OF being brand
ed traitors and political outlaws. 1t is an
essential part of this theory that all sound
conclusions and measures must be those
upon which one party or the other is
agreed, and hence, that statesmanlike
policy and wise laws are not to be expect
edit they are even Dossibe-from any
union Of the better men in all parties.
The political situation at this moment
is an instructive commentary upon this
partisan theory. There is not III import
ant question of principle, as 70 which the
two great parties, as such, now claim 10
be opposed, which does not really divide
their own ranks. Yet, hardly can two
good Christian women, having husbands
of opposite parties, discuss one of these
questions calmly. At the last and the pre-
vious session of Congress, not single
important measure was decided by party
vote, but every one of them-the presi-
dental succession and count bills, the
Blair education and pension bills, the
tenure of Office and railroad commission
and fishery bills-by the votes of both
parties Nevertheless, about one-half of
our college graduates, as they receive
their diplomas this year, would, if the
question were raised, declare that the fate
of the nation depends on the triumph of
one of these parties, and the rest that 1t
depends on the triumph of the other ;
while their wise and revered professors,
| from their lofty seats, would pronounce
an equally emphatic, bilateral amen.
| At this moment, the most vital a'd alb
solute issues in our politics are not repre-
scented by parties, but by leaders and fac
tons OF each party-as, for example, by
| Speaker Carlisle and eX Speaker Randall
on the tariff question, and by Senator AL
lison and Senator ingalls, on the civil ser
vice reform question OF, coming to our own
thoughtful, educated New England, by
Senator Blair and Senator Hawley on the
Southern education question. and by Sen
ator Hoar and Senator Edmunds on the
repeal Of the tenure OF office act. Indeed,
nowhere along the party lines is there a
principle in controversy of such profound
import and enduring Importance as that
between President Cleveland, seeking to
elevate and purify the public service, and
great Senators and politicians of his party
trying to force him TO prostitute that ser
vice for partisan ends.
Yet, II vast majority of the people have
accepted the theory that the saving grace
and conscience of the nation have their
birth and strength in the harmony, wis
dom and patriotism Of political parties
As a consequence, we find our 81, 600 0O(
of people without any need or suggestion
from their constitution, and very general
| ~ without much cause but prejudice and
distrust standing in battle array, III Two
vast political armies forever OBTAINING
and forever preparing to fight each Other
for the government as prize OF VIC
tory.
SO binding is the party zeal and belli
gerency of these armies-so thoughtlessly
have We surrendered to the theory of par
tlsan government-thatf few take notice d
the portentious facts that an election fol
mayor, governor or a president is hardly
so much the questions, who most deserves
to be elected Who do the people prefer
rs it is the question, who will the party
managers allow to be nominated
We go on keeping up the nominal part.
tght-as, for example, on the old issues
of slavery and re-organization-ln the
name of principle and the pretence of pa
triotism long after they are dead-as wa
horses keep their places in the ranks afte
their riders have fallen.
But why should we be surprised at this
when, contrary to the obvious facts befor
our eyes-which show that the patriotism
and conscience of the country are no
very unequally divided between the grea
parties-we, nevertheless, see even tn
candid adherents of each party habituall,
!, claiming monopoly of those virtues q
some churches have claimed monopol
of religion. So intense is partisan pro
scription that most of our party leader
would not allow Washington, or even -
Paul himself, to- be postmaster in
country village, if he had voted on tn